I'm thinking of erasing my older MacBook and starting over. It's starting to become a brick and weird things are happening anyway. Is there an easy, straightforward way to do this?
I still have my "newer" macbook, but I want to keep this as a backup and to pay my bills as usual.

What macOS version ate you running on your older Mac, the one you want to start over on, What OS version do you want on it, and how is your data backed up?

I am running Catalina like on my newer Mac. Catalina is fine, I guess. I'm not worried about it being backed up. It's as slow as molasses and I've tried everything I could find to speed it up including help here. Nothing is working. That's why I want to start over. I only use it as a back up to do searches and to pay my bills. That's all I need it for. I use my other MacBook to do everything else.

• What OS version is currently installed on your older Mac?
• What OS version would you like to have on your older Mac after the clean install?
• What is the specific model of your older Mac?
• If you intend to recover applications, settings, data to the clean installation on your older Mac, how is that data stored, in a clone? in a Time Machine backup? You don't intend to recover any applications, settings, or data and will stat over with a clean slate?

Believe it or not all of this makes a difference in how to best proceed.

If your intend to create a clean now installation of the latest version of MacOS that is compatible and do not intend to replicate any settings, third party applications, passwords, or data currently on your Mac this is the simplest and easiest way to to that.

1. Read all of these instructions to the very end before you begin. If step 11 seems appealing to you and you do not have any of that data stored on iCloud from you other Apple devices, consider turning that on on at least one device and waiting a day or two for the information to settle before going to the next step.
2. Print these instructions so you will have them to work from during the process.
3. On the Apple menu select Shut down…
4. After the computer has shut down, wait at least ten seconds
5. Press the power button and hold the option+command+R (⌥⌘R) keys until you see a progress bar. (NOTE: If at any point you are instructed to log onto the internet click on the network icon at the far right end of the menu bar, select your wifi network and enter the correct password. If you have trouble with the password, be sure the correct keyboard is selected (also at the far righted of the menu bar.))
6. Select Disk Utility and click on Continue
7. In Disk Utility, select your internal hard drive, (typically named Macintosh HD)
8. Click on the Erase icon in Disk Utility and for Name enter Macintosh HD, Format choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled), Scheme choose GUID Partition Map and click Erase
9. When that completes, quit Disk Utility
10. On the Mac OS Utilities screen select Reinstall Mac OS and follow the prompts on screen. When that completes you should be booted into a fresh copy of the latest macOS compatible with your computer.
11. IF you have anything such as Keychain, Safari, Contacts, Mail, Calendar, etc. set to use iCloud on any of your Apple Devices, and login to the same Apple ID and check the same items in System Preferences > Apple ID on your clean install all of that data and settings will automatically and transparently be transferred to your clean install without your having to re-enter and re-setup all of that data.
12. Pat your head and rub your stomach while singing "Ode To Joy" in German and post a link to a video of your doing that on FineTunedMac. (Not really, I just wanted to see if you read all the way to the end before you started 😜)

Thank you. I will get to this when I can. I just happened to try to bump my question up because I never got an email with your answer and then I saw this.

Before I start this, is there anything I can do to screw it up and completely brick it if I misunderstand the instructions?

Are these instructions the same as doing a factory reset? That's basically what I want to do, and then upgrade to Catalina for now.

When you say "When that completes, quit Disk Utility. On the Mac OS Utilities screen select Reinstall Mac OS and follow the prompts on screen. When that completes you should be booted into a fresh copy of the latest macOS compatible with your computer."

Is there still some sort of utilities screen showing after I quit Disk Utility? I think I am getting the two utilities mixed up.

I'm not interested in step 11.

Thank you!

If anyone tells you that you cannot screw it up and completely brick it they are lying, have no idea what they are doing, or they are kidding you and themself. However, if you follow the instructions in the order in which they are given, and do not take shortcuts, extemporize, or make assumptions the risk is quite low. Once you vary in the slightest the risk increases logarithmically.

The instructions I gave you will install the latest version of macOS compatible with your system, so is not a factory reset in that it will not restore it to the version of macOS that was installed when your computer left the factory. If your computer is currently running Catalina then hold ⌘R when you reboot. If it is running anything other than Catalina special provisions must be made to assure Catalina is installed, so let me know and I will give you the additional instructions. (NOTE: in that case you will need a thumb drive with at least 16 GB capacity.)

When you boot from the Recovery Drive the window that opens is the Recovery Assistant which offers four options, Recover from a Time-Machine backup, Reinstall MacOS, Disk Utility, and Safari. If you enter Disk Utility or Safari from the Recovery Assistant window when you exit them you are returned to the Recovery Assistant. If you have entered either of the other two options when they complete you will be booted from the newly recovered or installed macOS.

Got it.
The reason I'm being so careful is because, as I mentioned sometime before, sometimes the spinning globe shows up (I think under recovery) and goes nowhere. The last time I did what Apple told me to do when that showed up, I was completely locked out of my Mac and had to take it in which is a nightmare in itself. Hopefully, that stupid globe won't show up. If the globe shows up and doesn't respond to my clicks, I will be back.

I understand your concern! and a factory reset would be little different and no less risk.

If the spinning globe shows up it may mean there is some internal processing going on and you just have to wait it out or it may mean another process has blocked the one in foreground from starting or completing. Don't forget, you can always try pressing ⌥⌘ESC (Option+Command+Escape) to bring up the Force Quit Window and forcing whatever is going on to quit there (usually flagged as not responding). Be aware that during the process of booting from the Recovery Drive and installing MacOS, there are several places where there is no apparent activity, sometimes half an hour or more as material is downloaded from the internet, download packages expanded, prepared, installed. Personally I don't get concerned until there has been at least half an hour of no apparent activity, even a blank screen, and I have a very fast internet connection and a very fast Mac. So don't get anxious and quit too soon. A lot of bad jokes stemming from my training background come to mind, but I won't insult you by repeating one of them, just remember that patience really can be a time and worry saver. 😜

The only thing I don't get is when you say… Pardon my French but that aint right! Not that I am saying you aren't truthful rather there is no rational reason that should be true for any banking establishment site big or little.

The reason I say this is because after I had Sierra on my old mac, a few weeks or months later, I couldn't get into my bank account. That bank is always upgrading. So I upgraded to Catalina and had no problems after that. I am sure PC users had to upgrade too or not get into their account. It's aggravating. They didn't use to do this, but now they do and make no excuses for it. Some young whippersnapper who thinks everything has to be up to the minute versions of software. Too bad for those who don't want to march forward.

The only thing I don't get is when you say… Pardon my French but that aint right! Not that I am saying you aren't truthful rather there is no rational reason that should be true for any banking establishment site big or little. [/quote]

Now that makes sense! As the security threats increase financial institutions must evolve to meet the advanced threat and that often demands tools and technology that cannot be retrofitted into the older systems. The impetus, really neccesity,, to upgrade comes not from Apple or the banks but from the scammers.

Yes, unfortunately.